Step one: Get the person you’re getting a gift for to take the 5 Love Languages Quiz. Frame it as a “Omg! Found this today, I’m curious to see what you’d get.” or a “Ooooh let’s take this together, I love quizzes.”
Step two: Profit. Well, not really. Profit from the joy you’ll get from giving your friend, family member or S.O. the perfect gift!
Of course, you gotta mix in a few personal details you know about the person. And, you know them better than I know them based on their love language. This gift guide will help you bounce off some ideas, you feel? And if you’re still stumped, my ultimate gift guide is a real doozy of an inspiration post.
Words of Affirmation
No matter what you get this person, a handwritten, lengthy card is a must-have. A person of this love language will most likely love reading a heartfelt note about how much they mean to you and some things that you love about them.
Solid Ideas:
➳ A scrapbook of photos together along with handwritten favorite memories from the day the photos were taken.
➳ Jewelry with a special inscription.
➳ Books you think they’d love.
➳ 23&Me or a different test that can tell them about their roots. It may not seem like much of an affirmation, but it can help them learn more about themselves and maybe even their history, which can be quite thought-provoking.
Acts of Service
First, figure out some tasks that are a pain for them to tackle or things that you could help them accomplish. Think about things in your life you can make easier. For those who appreciate acts of service, they’ll usually appreciate really practical gifts.
Solid Ideas:
➳ Pre-pay for a monthly cleaning service for a few months
➳ Have their car cleaned
➳ Accomplish some things on their vague to do list (Have they been saying they wanted to re-paint the garage? Do they have boxes of IKEA furniture they’ve yet to build?)
➳ Buy something that can make parts of their daily life easier or more comfortable. Like a desk chair with great back support or noise-canceling headphones and a Spotify subscription for them to use on their morning commute
➳ Pre-pay for their unlimited Metro Card for a month or two. Or, pre-pay a few months of their beloved gym membership.
➳ A Roomba! Or another vacuum that automatically zooms around and cleans.
➳ A subscription to a pre-prepared meal service like Hello Fresh or Blue Apron.
Receiving Gifts
Uh, you’re probably like Duh!!! They like getting gifts. This didn’t help me figure anything out, thanks! But, this can actually be a pretty telling love language. Oftentimes those who like receiving gifts will appreciate ones that had a lot of thought behind them.
Solid Ideas:
➳ Try giving multiple small, thoughtful gifts.
➳ Try doing something like a “12 days of Christmas” or a Holiday Countdown and give a small gift every day leading up to Christmas. If that’s too many gifts, you could always try doing it the week before.
➳ A subscription service for something they’ll like, whether it’s a monthly book club, a foreign foods box, or a monthly beauty box. They can receive a new gift each month for a few months!
➳ Number gifts and write personalized little notes to go with each. I have done this for years. Here are some examples of notes I’ve written:
– On a hammock: “Remember your trip to Nashville and how much you loved the AirBnB’s hammock? Well, now you have your own to take on adventures with you.”
– On a book: “The plot of this sounded really cool and I know how much you loved the other things by this author. Hope this one’s just as good.”
Quality Time
This one is, to me, one of the easiest love languages to find gifts for. The focus is to get an experiential gift for something you guys can do together. I have an entire list of 50 gift ideas that are experiences. Boom. Easy.
Solid Ideas:
➳ Book an Airbnb weekend getaway together. Make sure they’re available the weekend you book it for.
➳ Get tickets to a Broadway show or concert.
➳ Seriously, check out my 50 gift ideas that are experiences! I have 50! I’m sure you can find one they’d love.
➳ Surprise them by flying out their good friend who lives far away or a family member they love but don’t see often. Or, plan a trip to visit them. But, if they don’t like surprises you may want to just discuss this with them in advance.
Physical Touch
This doesn’t have to be sexual, even though that may seem that’s what’s implied. The physical touch love language is really about a sense of closeness and coziness.
Solid Ideas:
➳ An incredibly soft set of sheets or towels.
➳ A spa or massage certificate.
➳ An experience gift that involves spending time together one-on-one, like a special hiking trail or romantic weekend getaway.
➳ Somethin’ saucy, like a new outfit.
What’s your love language and what’s a gift you would love?
